Toy Soldier
by ReesesPieces2112
Summary: What if Felicity had been taken by the Dollmaker? What if, after a year of searching for her, a new and mysterious masked villain pops up baring a striking resemblance to none other than Felicity Smoak?
1. Prologue

It wasn't at all what he had expected to hear. He'd only left her alone for a second…to save Laurel. That split second put her in danger and now all he could do was stand there and try desperately listening to what Diggle had been telling him.

"Oliver!" Diggle hissed through the comm. "Oliver, are you hearing me?!"

"Yes." Oliver replied shakily. "I heard you, Diggle."

"I've been tracking her phone but the signal cut out."

"Try again." He demanded, pulling himself back to the matter at hand; he had to get to her. The Dollmaker had her and if he didn't hurry, she'd die.

"I'm doing everything I can." Diggle assured. "I can't promise you much, Oliver. I'm not exactly her. I can only work around computers as well as you."

Oliver picked up his bow. "Where did the signal cut out?" He heard typing on the other end and a small "what?"

"This can't be right." Diggle said. "It looks like the signal cut out a few miles from the Glades, but they're…"

"The perfect place to stash dead bodies." Oliver said bitterly, breaking into a sprint to reach his bike.

"Oliver, wait for Sara. She can back you up." Diggle insisted.

"No time." Oliver growled.

"So impatient." He heard Sara mumble as she said her goodbyes to Diggle before leaving the foundry.

Fifteen minutes later, Oliver had arrived at the Glades, or what was left of them. He scanned the area carefully, looking for any sign of them, only to see absolutely nothing.

"Your stress isn't helping your surveying." Sara stated from behind him. "You need to calm down, Oliver. The desperation of finding her is blinding you from what's really here."

"We're running out of time." He shook his head. "Damn it!"

"Oliver!" Sara snapped. "We will find her. You need to calm down."

"I can't!" He roared, facing her. "I can't just calm down, Sara! This is Felicity we're talking about! We can't lose her!"

"_You _can't lose her." She corrected him. "I know you have feelings for her, but it's not going to help us if your emotions aren't in check!"

A faint beeping had them snapping their heads around, searching for the source of the noise.

"Digg, what is it?" Oliver asked.

"You need to get out of there!" Diggle panicked. "Oliver, you and Sara need to leave, it's a bomb!"

"We need to go." Sara tugged on him arm.

"We can't." Oliver pushed her hand away. "We find Felicity first."

"Oliver!" Sara and Diggle yelled.

"This place is about to blow!" Sara screeched, clutching his arm as hard as she could and dragging him away with much difficulty.

The beeping became louder and faster, taking no longer than two minutes before going off and destroying the ruins of the Glades.

"No!" Oliver screamed, pushing Sara to the side.

"Oliver, there's nothing we can do now!" She grabbed onto him, having never seen him this desperate since the island. "Oliver…there's nothing we can do."

Back at the foundry, Diggle had let some tears slip from his eyes, having heard the explosion through Oliver's comm. He had his hands folded in front of his mouth to stop the violent sobs he was sure would leak through. Diggle wasn't a man that cried, but he had also never felt so defeated than in that moment.

An hour later, Sara had entered the foundry with Oliver trudging behind. His shoulders looked heavy with the way he had been slouching forward, green paint long gone from his eyes that seemed to be bloodshot.

Sara made her way over to Diggle and, despite having just met him, threw her arms around him in a hug.

Diggle focused on Oliver, who had stood in the middle of the training mat before collapsing to his knees and began punching the ground and screaming. He felt Sara trembling in his arms, obviously not used to Oliver's actions. She began crying as well; even though she hadn't known Felicity, she had never felt so helpless since her days on the island.

* * *

The funeral for Felicity Megan Smoak had been held two months later when police had determined she hadn't made it. The weeks they spent searching for her turned up empty. The countless nights Oliver, Diggle, and Sara had spent turning the city upside down for her only led to dead ends. Sara and Diggle watched Oliver slip deeper and deeper into his anger; anger at himself for leaving her, anger at the Dollmaker for taking her, anger at the police for giving up, anger at…everything.

* * *

**Bare with me here, guys. I've had this idea rattling around in my head for a while. This chapter started out fast because I wanted to get it out there, I'll eventually edit it and my later chapter's should get better since I won't rush them as much as this one.**

**This is my first story in a while, since all I've been doing is writing one-shots because they're easier. I want to take another crack at writing stories so I can find some way out of my writer's block to finish my Once Upon a Time story. **

**Much love, guys (:**

**ReesesPieces2112**


	2. Calling Card

**One Year Later**

Diggle waited by the door of Oliver's office, hoping today had gone better than yesterday, or the day before that. Somehow he knew it was a futile thing to hope for; today marked the one-year anniversary of Felicity's "death" and everyone was on edge.

Sara had stuck around after Felicity's funeral, choosing to reveal herself to her family and living a relatively normal life. Somewhere along the way, her and Oliver had managed to start a relationship even with the strain of Oliver feeling guilty over Felicity.

Oliver stepped out of his office, buttoning his suit jacket and shaking the hands of the investors whom he'd just spent two agonizing hours with.

"Good meeting?" Diggle asked after the investors left.

"Don't know." Oliver stated. "Didn't really pay attention."

"Mr. Queen?" They heard a new voice, turning to see that it was Oliver's new assistant, Cassandra. "I have a Ms. Lance on her way up to see you."

"Thank you, Ms. Groves." He nodded and sat at his desk, staring at his computer.

"Do you even know her first name?" John asked with crossed arms.

"No. Am I to assume it's some sort of crime that I don't?"

"Oliver." John sighed. "Everyone at QC understands how devastating a loss Felicity was, but they're afraid that if you don't snap out of it soon, Queen Consolidated will crumble and they'll lose everything."

"I've lost everything once. I survived." Oliver banged on the keys to his computer, finding it frozen. "Damn it."

"Have you tried taking that thing down to the IT department?" Diggle nodded at Sara as she walked into the office.

"I don't want to go down there."

"Hey, Ollie." Sara strode up to his desk to plant a kiss on his cheek. "How's today going?"

"He's about to throw his computer out the window." Diggle snorted after a well-deserved glare from his boss.

"What's going on with it?" Sara leaned over to type away at his keys but met the same difficulty.

"Last month someone hacked our systems." Oliver leaned back in his chair and put a hand to his face. "Since then, nothing's working properly."

"Someone penetrated Felicity's encryption?" She gaped. "How's that possible? She was the best hacker in Starling City."

"We don't know." John answered. "Whoever it was, didn't take anything specific. We looked through all the files, everything was there."

"How long were the computers down?"

"An hour tops." Oliver answered.

"Maybe they did take something." Sara offered. "Maybe they copied some files and didn't leave a trace."

"What could they have wanted? Nothing on Oliver's computer connects him to the hood. It's all business."

"Maybe it was just some prank." Oliver stated. "Just a way for people to show us that without Felicity, they could get to us as easily as anyone else."

"Then it's a threat." Sara crossed her arms. "Frankly, Oliver, I'm a little worried that you're not more concerned about this."

"Like Diggle said, nothing in there connects me to the hood. The only thing that could have been taken are names of shareholders and investors, but even then, they're companies would be in trouble too. But as of right now, everyone seems to be doing just fine, Sara."

"Fine." She sighed in defeat. "I didn't come here to talk computers. I came to see if you wanted to grab lunch."

"Café down the street?"

"Sure." She followed him and Diggle out the door, waving goodbye to Cassandra as they left. "New assistant's pretty." She whispered to Diggle.

"Pft. She wouldn't be there if Mrs. Queen hadn't forced Oliver to get a new assistant." He whispered back.

"He really didn't want anyone in that office with him?"

"Not a soul. Everyone was really surprised by his actions. They all thought they were sleeping together, they never suspected he'd end up like this."

Sara looked at her feet as they walked along; she and Oliver didn't speak much, which wasn't exactly healthy in a relationship, but she stayed by his side. They made sense, they understood each other. So why can't she shake the feeling that he'll just keep spiraling?

Something in the air shifted as she stopped walking and stood straight.

"Sara?" Diggle asked, turning to Oliver and noticing he was observing their surroundings just as Sara had been. His eyes darted around the multiple faces in the crowd, obviously missing something they had seen.

"Do you feel that?" She asked Oliver.

Oliver nodded and snapped his head in every direction but couldn't pinpoint where the pair of eyes that had been watching them were located. "Someone's here."

"A lot of someone's." Diggle stood next to him. "Let's keep moving."

Oliver offered his hand to Sara and intertwined their fingers, pulling her through the crowd of people.

* * *

"Did you see anything?" He asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"No." She lied. "Nothing. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but he tends to go out at night, not the middle of the afternoon."

He glared at her as she shrugged off her leather jacket. "I don't take too kindly to sarcasm, you should know that by now."

"Yeah." She winced, reaching for the scar on her shoulder to remind herself of the last time she mouthed off. "Sorry."

"Come, you have training." He latched onto her elbow and dragged her down to the basement of "their house". "You'll be going out again tonight and meeting up with Samuel."

"No way." She groaned. "Dude's creepy, can't we meet someone else from the Triads?"

"No." He snapped. "It must be him. He becomes quite the moron around pretty women. His information is valuable and I need it."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a compliment."

"It was." He turned to her. "You…are perfection. Someday you'll see the beauty in my art."

"Sorry if my appreciation for the murderous hasn't gone up." She pushed past him and walked to the center of the training mat. "What makes you think something won't come up tonight with your hooded vigilante?"

"Crime rate has gone down since the Triads made the deal with us. They seem more eager than we are to catch him. Ready?"

She nodded, bo staff in hand. The click of a button had her suddenly become more aware as she deflected a knife, striking it with her staff to send it flying across the room. She repeated her actions, moving swiftly, acting on instinct, and becoming the training robot he had meant for her to be.

He smiled wickedly, watching his creation come to light and become the deadliest thing in the city. Catching the hood was a top priority among the criminals powerful enough to get close, and he had the number one weapon.

* * *

Oliver and Sara were too busy training to notice Diggle pull up the security footage from the street corner a few blocks from QC.

"I know." Thwack. "I didn't." Thwack. "Imagine it." Thwack.

"I." Thwack. "Felt it." Thwack. "Too." Oliver stepped away from Sara and put the bo staff on the floor. He picked up his water bottle and took a swig. "Find anything?"

Diggle was rewinding the footage until something caught his attention and he squinted to get a better look. "I think so."

"What is that?" Sara asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure."

"Try blowing it up." Oliver suggested from beside Diggle.

After hitting a few keys and doing his best to enhance the image, he sighed in frustration. "Nothing's working. I can't get a good picture. Even if I could, this girl isn't exactly looking up at the camera, you can only see the top of her head."

Oliver stared at the brunette girl on the screen intently; she had been looking at them from across the street, and yet he wasn't able to catch her earlier. Who was she? What did she want from them now? Felicity wasn't around, Sara and Diggle could take care of themselves, there was no one this girl could get to that would have him panicking.

"Look." Sara pointed at another video. "There's a reflection in the building across. See if you can enhance it from there."

Before he could even begin to do anything, the computer screen froze. "What the hell?"

"What on Earth did you do?" Oliver asked, almost laughing at the fact that he wasn't the only one not great with computers.

"I don't know, it just-." Diggle's sentence was cut short when the screen began going haywire and the chords started smoking.

"Digg, get away from the computer." Sara pulled him out of his seat and backed all three of them up a safe enough distance. "What the hell is going on?"

"Someone's frying our servers." Oliver answered, pulling her close to keep her from getting burned from the sparks flying at them.

"Well, what do we do?" She asked.

"Nothing we can do." Diggle huffed, taking another step back. "Crap."

Sara waved her hand in front of her face to swat away the smoke and coughed. "Now what?"

"We'll just have to play it by ear." Oliver stated, mirroring her actions.

* * *

Her hands flew across the keyboard, sending a skeleton key to the foundry's computer before erasing every trace that led back to her. Not that they could do it anyways.

"What are you doing down here?" He asked from the doorway. "You should be getting ready."

"Coming." She shut down her computer, rising from her seat and following him upstairs. "Is Sam supposed to give me anything that I don't already know?"

"We can only hope." He answered, helping her shrug into her jacket and shoving something into the pocket. "Give him this before you leave."

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes and bunched up her hair to pull it up and letting it fall down her back. "What's it for?"

"It's your calling card." He stepped around to look her over. "It's time to catch the attention of a certain vigilante."

"Why are you after him anyways?" She asked before he could push her out the door.

"Because he ruined everything I worked very hard for."

"So, why do you need me to do it?"

"Because you're the first to ever survive the drug and I plan to put you to good use. Now go."

She huffed and pulled on her jacket. "Don't wait up." Hearing the door slam close behind her, she stuffed her hands in her pockets. "He'll be too busy to be out tonight."

* * *

"You're here." Sam smiled at her, gesturing to the seat beside him. "Please, sit."

"Thank you." She faked a smile back at him, sitting down and placing her clutch on the table. "So, tell me." She lifted her hand to his face. "Where did you get those awful bruises?"

He took her hand in his and sighed. "It's nothing."

"Come on, tell me." She played with his fingers, hating every single second of it. "What could happen?"

"A lot." He looked into her eyes. "My boss is breathing down my neck about some information that I just can't seem to get."

"What kind of information?"

"The identity of that stupid hooded vigilante. I gotta say, I don't understand the obsession with this guy. Yeah, taking him out could be good for us, but if we couldn't before, we can't do it now."

"Well, that's an awful lot of doubt for someone who's supposed to be loyal."

"I'm as loyal to my boss as the next person. But this guy with the hood is enough the put us all on edge, none of us are comfortable doing what I'm doing."

"Then why are _you _doing it?"

"Because I caught a glimpse of him like, once."

Her fingers stopped tracing circles on his hand. "What did you see?"

"What everyone always sees, just a guy with a hood on and some arrows. I mean, I could give a better description to my boss."

"What about me? Can't you describe him to me? It's not like I'll tell anyone." She smiled coyly.

"Well, if I told you." Sam joked. "Then I'd have to kill you."

She leaned in and gave him a small kiss, pulling back to whisper, "Not if I kill you first." Her hand shot forward, plunging her pocket knife into his gut.

Sam looked up in surprise, beginning to choke on the blood that was soon to be falling out of his mouth. "What…?"

"Should have just told me." She pulled the knife out, leaving him in a sitting position, and placing the poker card face down on the table before walking out of the diner. She made sure to keep her face hidden from the cameras inside and out, hailing a cab and hearing the screams of a waitress.

"Where to?" The driver asked, looking at her from the rearview mirror. "Hey, did anyone ever tell you that you look like Oliver Queen's old assistant?"

"No." She laughed softly. "What happened to her?"

"Poor girl got kidnapped by some psycho. Guy called himself The Dollmaker." The driver pulled away from the curb. "Had the city's finest going crazy for months, looking for her."

"What a shame." She looked out the window. "What was her name? This girl I look so much like."

"Her name was plastered everywhere, it's hard to forget. It was Felicity Smoak."


	3. The Queen of Hearts

"How did it go?" He asked as soon as she entered.

"You sure you want to know?" She threw her jacket on the couch. "It won't make you too happy."

"Felicity." He hissed. "What. Happened?"

"I killed him, Mathis, that's what happened." Felicity stormed her way down the stairs to the basement.

Barton Mathis was on her heels. "What do you mean you killed him?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"You should be expecting visitors soon." She shot him a look as she took a seat at her computer. "The Triads don't take too well to someone killing one of their own, even a scum like Sam."

Angry, Barton withdrew his hand and went to slap her face, but she was quick.

Felicity grabbed his hand, shooting out of her chair and twisting his arm behind his back.

"Ah!" He howled in pain, trying to fight back. "Let go of me!"

She released him, shoving him forward and watching him stumble over his own feet. "Would you like to try that again?"

"Don't forget who made you." He spat. "Don't forget who trained you to-."

"How could I?" She rolled her eyes. "You never let me."

"Maybe you've forgotten your place." Barton made his way around her chair and slid his hands up to her throat. "Would you like to be reminded?"

Felicity grunted, but stayed still and locked eyes with him. "No. I'm sorry."

His grip tightened. "For?"

"For." Grunt. "Forgetting." Grunt. "My place."

"Good." Throwing her head to the side, he walked back to the door. "The last thing you need is more scars because you're having a hard time recalling your manners."

* * *

"Have you seen this?" Diggle directed the question at Oliver the next night at the foundry.

"What is it?" He grunted in response, pulling himself up the salmon ladder.

"Someone from the Triads was killed last night." John looked up at him. "Says here cops didn't find anything except a playing card on the table."

"So?" Grunt.

"So." He drew out. "Aren't you curious as to how someone managed to kill a member of the Triads in a restaurant full of people? And then leave no forensic evidence other than a poker card?"

"Well." Oliver jumped down from the top of the salmon ladder and picked up a towel, making his way over to the computers. "The poker card's got me stumped, I'll give you that."

"Anyways, a waitress said she saw him with a girl. She didn't get a good look at her, but said she had brunette hair."

"That really narrows it down." Oliver rolled his eyes. "Footage."

"Already on it." Diggle pulled up the security footage from the diner. "I figured it was too good to be a coincidence."

Oliver nodded, watching the screen and catching the glint from the pocket knife before it disappeared into the victim's stomach. "Face hidden from the cameras, took the knife with her, satin gloves don't leave fingerprints, and slid the card on the table like she was paying the tab."

Diggle would have been dumb struck by how quickly he'd assessed the scene, but it happed so often that he was used to it. "Reporters said the card was the Queen of Hearts with the words 'your move' written on it."

"Okay, so a calling card." Oliver nodded. "But for who?"

"Oliver." Diggle hesitated. "It was written in green paint."

"Great." Oliver sighed.

"What is?" Sara asked, putting her bag down with Roy trailing after her.

"Oh you guys heard about last night." He chimed in. "Guess you've got a new enemy."

"The calling card." She nodded. "Are we checking it out?"

"I will." Oliver pulled her close to his side. "If it's meant for me, I'll handle it."

"You know you don't have to do it alone."

"_You don_'_t have to do it alone_." Felicity's words echoed through him and he took a step away, releasing Sara. "It's fine. I'll be quick."

The corners of her mouth turned down for the briefest moment before masking her features as she had done for five years. "We'll be here on the comms then."

He nodded, grabbing his gear and disappearing to get ready.

"He just wants to keep you out of harm's way." Diggle reassured her. "He doesn't want to take a risk. Not after Feli-."

"Yeah, got it." Sara sighed heavily, crossing the room and grabbing her bo staff to start training.

Roy and Diggle exchanged looks; they knew why Oliver was so uptight when it came to Sara going out as the Black Canary with him, but Sara felt like she was being left in the dark. She could handle herself and while she was sure Felicity could have too, she wasn't Felicity. She didn't need saving. Oliver may have been a hero in Felicity's eyes, but to Sara, he was her partner and comrade. His protection was appreciated, but she didn't need it.

* * *

"Well, your little stunt is all over the news." Barton threw the newspaper on Felicity's desk.

"Yes, I've seen." She nodded at her computers, which held the news reports on the screen. "You wanted his attention, we go it."

"Discreetly." He reminded her. "I wanted his attention _discreetly_."

"What was I supposed to do? Slip it under his doormat?" She snapped. "Oh wait, I couldn't do that either because _we don_'_t know who he is_."

"Isn't that what all these fancy computers are for? That _is _why I gave them to you, is it not?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mathis, would _you _like search the internet for two hours a day, train for five, and patrol for another six?"

"Find him." He growled, trudging upstairs. "And start training!"

Felicity looked down at the newspaper in her lap. "Don't do it, Oliver." She whispered. "Don't fall for it."

* * *

Quiver strapped on his back, Oliver scanned the crowd of faces from his place on the rooftop. Whoever wanted to get to him, had the perfect opportunity. Either they didn't know how to take it, or they weren't going to.

He didn't miss the scowl on Sara's face as he left the foundry. He wanted to explain that while he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, there were chances he just wasn't willing to take. Comparing her to Felicity wasn't his intention, but just because she was able to fight on his level didn't mean she wasn't as fragile as his IT girl was.

From afar, her hands had clenched into fists and she chewed on her bottom lip. Was he serious? Okay, yes, he felt the need to protect the city, but damn it she thought he'd be smarter than to take the bait.

"_Leave_, _Oliver_." She silently pleaded. "_Forget the card and just walk away_."

Felicity watched his head fall back as he blew out a breath.

"Now, Felicity!" Barton hissed through her earpiece.

With a sharp intake of breath (and the hope that he'd heard it as a warning) she broke into a run and went to strike him.

Oliver spun, catching her arm and throwing her over his shoulder with little to no effort. Hearing her grunt, he kept his eyes locked on hers as she rolled into a crouching position. Blue eyes…piercing blue eyes, had him falter for a second.

That second was all she needed to fake left, jump right, and kick him in the stomach. What she didn't expect was for him to grab onto her ankle and twist it, leaving her flat on her back.

He moved to pounce on her but had the air knocked out of him when she planted both feet on his abdomen and pushed.

She watched him stumble back and winced as she noticed he had a hard time breathing.

Oliver didn't let the lack of air stop him from tackling her and restraining her arms with his left hand, using his right to try and pry her mask from her face.

"Do something!" Barton screeched.

Felicity snapped out of having Oliver so close and was able to maneuver herself to knee him in the ribs. When his grip loosened and a groan fell from his lips, she pulled her hands free and braced them against his chest.

He saw what looked like sympathy flash in her eyes before pushing him back, straddling him, and raising her fist to punch his face. Not ready to let her get away that easily, he grabbed her wrist and lifted her body, throwing her to the side.

She gasped and groaned, leaning on her elbow and holding on to her ribcage. "Shit." She stood slowly, reaching behind her and withdrawing her katana sword.

Oliver drew his arrow and let it slip through his fingers, smirking in victory when he thought it had hit her. His smile faded when he heard the sharp ping of his arrow hitting the blade of her sword.

Felicity moved quickly, sprinting at him and bringing her sword all the way through.

"Oliver!" Sara screamed through his comm.

Oliver didn't realize he had been holding his breath until he was met with the tip of the blade of the katana sword. Glancing back at the owner, he noticed she held the handle so tight that her hand was shaking.

Knuckles white, chest heaving, and body tired, Felicity lowered her weapon. It wasn't everyday someone could get the drop on Oliver Queen, billionaire playboy and hooded vigilante, but she did…and it made her uneasy.

"What are you doing?!" Barton seethed through her earpiece. "Now is our chance."

"Now isn't a good time." She responded, leaving him angry and Oliver confused.

"You wanted my attention, right?" He asked, drawing his bow one more time. "You wanted me to make my move and I am. Ball's in your court."

She shook her head, stepping back and sheathing her katana. She had almost forgotten his vocal mask and the sound of it nearly made her jump.

"Who are you?" Oliver asked again. "What do you want from me?"

Felicity inhaled sharply before turning and running away, leaping from that building to the next.

"You've got to be kidding me." He mumbled as he lowered his bow and put his arrow back in his quiver.

"Get back here." Sara demanded. "Now."

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Mathis shouted at Felicity when she returned.

She peeled the mask off her face and took off her jacket. "I was thinking I'd train some more. Care to join?"

"Don't mock me." He warned, following her the basement. "We had him and you let him walk away."

"I did it for good reas-. Is that a salmon ladder?"

"What?" He looked in the direction she had pointed, up. "Oh, yes. I thought it'd be gift for bringing me the Hood, but unfortunately you didn't."

Felicity turned to look at him. "I left him alive because there was no other choice."

"No other choice?" He gasped. "No other choice?!"

"You really think someone like him wouldn't have help?" She glared at him, stepping forward and inching him back. "You honestly believe we would have gotten away with killing the Hood that easily?"

"I didn't want you to kill him." Mathis put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. "I wanted you to bring him here."

"Then why the sword?"

"So he'd know that you're no joke, Felicity. This Black Canary he runs around with is not the only girl who can kill in a matter of seconds. You can also. You're stronger, faster, and smarter than the old you and I'd, for once, like to see you use it on someone other than me."

"Are you afraid of me, Mathis?" Felicity smirked at him.

"I don't fear bullies." He moved for the stairs. "Your abilities are supposed to trump his, Felicity, so what the hell happened?"

"This is _your _fault for giving me false information! You underestimated him and _over_estimated me."

"And you've earned yourself an hour on the salmon ladder. I have this lovely knack for taking a gift and turning it into a nightmare."

"Don't I know it." She grumbled after hearing the door slam shut.

* * *

"Who _is _this girl?" Roy asked in awe, looking at Oliver's bruises. "She took you down."

"Shut up." Diggle warned him, slapping his shoulder and pointing to the mat. "Go train with Sara. I hate to admit this, but he's right. She almost killed you and you almost looked like you would have let her."

"I was not." Oliver denied. "She was quick though, Diggle. Quicker than I've seen anyone in a long time. And the way she handled that sword…I haven't seen precision fighting like that since my days on the island."

"So, wait. You're telling me that she's another girl from the island?" Diggle asked with a quirked brow. "If it is, why don't you recognize her?"

"Give me a break." He shot him a glare. "I didn't exactly recognize Sara at first. And she can't be another girl from the island, the only one left is Sara."

"Well, if you're gonna go another round with this chick, it's best you at least know her name. Out of common courtesy, of course." Diggle fought a smile.

"Was that a joke?" Oliver asked. "Why is that a joke?"

"Oh come on. You mean to tell me, all that grunting, groaning, and panting _all _had to do with the fight?"

"Yes."

"You are in so much denial." Diggle shook his head.

"And you're starting to sound like Thea." Oliver patted his shoulder and stood from his chair to watch Roy and Sara go at it in hand-to-hand combat.

"They call her the Queen of Hearts." Diggle said. "Because of her calling card, reporters are calling her the Queen of Hearts. Of course, you might want to find out her real name because her fake one is pretty long to call the next time you-."

Oliver pushed him over as Sara started towards them, a smile on her face after throwing Roy to the ground.


	4. Arecenio Reyes

"The Triads came by today." Barton said to Felicity as she climbed the salmon ladder.

"Did they demand an apology?"

"Actually, no." He sighed, hitting buttons on her computer. "Seems like they were as grateful to be rid of him as you were to kill him. In fact, they've given us another piece to the puzzle. Arcenio Reyes."

"Who is he?" She asked, grabbing a towel and bottled water.

"His brother was killed by The Hood."

"Are they part of the Triads, or…?"

"No, just a street gang. However, they do value each other as much as Triad members do. While out on the streets, Arcenio and his brother stumbled upon the Hood in the midst of a fight. According to him, it was the Hood's fault his brother died. There's nothing he wants more than to take him down."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I need you to get information about whatever he remembers from that night."

"We already tried that with Sam." She countered, taking a drink of water.

"Different situations, Felicity, different outcomes." Barton got out of her chair and left her alone in the basement.

She looked at her computer, staring at Reyes' picture and sighing heavily. Moving her gaze to the picture next to it, Felicity took in the intensity of Oliver's eyes; the way they had looked at her last night. The way he smiled when he thought he'd hit her with his arrow. How could she blame him for feeling triumphant? She was a criminal now. She had killed someone and didn't feel a thing.

Seeing Oliver again, struck something in her. The guilt she should have felt when killing Sam came rushing to her when she saw the look of disgust in Oliver's eyes. He had wanted to put an arrow through her, he wanted her dead. Could she fight him again? Could she drive her sword through his heart like Mathis trained her to do?

No. She couldn't hurt him. All the brainwashing Mathis thought he had done was a waste. Felicity didn't allow herself to be programmed to kill Oliver and she wouldn't. She would let him kill her first.

* * *

"You mean to tell me, that even with a member of their own dead, the Triads aren't lashing out?" Sara asked Oliver in his office.

"Apparently not." He had expected some sort of attack by mid-afternoon but was given nothing but silence. "I don't get it."

"It's possible they're looking for the Queen of Hearts." Diggle said from his spot on the couch. "Maybe there's more to it than we know and they prefer to deal with it without drawing attention."

Sara nodded, putting her hand on Oliver's shoulder. "Roy's spending time with Thea tonight. I'm sure Diggle's busy. How about we get dinner tonight?"

"Sounds like a date." He smiled softly at her, taking her hand.

John Diggle wanted to be disappointed in them, but he couldn't; Oliver had felt helpless when Felicity died, but then Sara was there. She helped him through it and made him smile for the first time in weeks.

Diggle knew how Felicity felt about Oliver and he wanted to be angry with him when he had chosen to save Laurel instead of watching after Felicity. But being angry wasn't the answer; Oliver had made a decision and while the consequence was large, Diggle couldn't blame him for thinking he had done right.

Oliver stared at his screen, going over the night's events. The Queen of Hearts was fast, she was strong, and she almost killed him. His life had been on the line more times than he could count and he usually never gave his opponents a second thought, but this girl was stuck in his head. Something about her seemed…familiar. Something about her eyes, the way they had held fear, sympathy, regret. She looked anxious, like she didn't want to be there, or like she didn't want _him _there.

"Oliver?" Sara broke his train of thought. "Did you hear Cassandra?"

"I'm sorry, what?" He looked from his girlfriend to his assistant. "Uh, no, Ms. Groves, I'm sorry. What was that?"

"Ms. Rochev is here for your two o'clock meeting."

Oliver inwardly groaned; he hated meetings with Isabel, she was rude and demanding. A woman Felicity would have no doubt hated. The thought of Felicity doing her best to keep herself back from ripping Isabel's head off made him smile, almost even laugh. "Thank you. Ms. Groves."

Cassandra nodded and went back to her desk, shuffling about papers and writing things down in a planner.

"You know, her name's Cassandra." Sara said to Oliver as they headed for the door of his office. "Would it kill you to use it?"

"It's not appropriate."

"You used Felicity's."

"That was a different case. She was more than my assistant and even then she wasn't really an assistant. I gave her the position because I needed a reason to discuss our nights together without traveling down eighteen floors." He stated, opening the glass door and barging out of the office without listening to her reply.

Sara let out an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through her hair; she knew better than to push it, Oliver always got defensive about Felicity.

"He'll get there." Diggle said, following her out. "It'll take some time but he'll get there."

* * *

That night Felicity slung her red leather jacket around her shoulders, covering the scars that invaded her shoulders along with the bruises from her fight with Oliver.

"Don't forget your earpiece." Barton reminded her, handing her the small device. "I'll be listening in on everything."

"Yeah, I know." She grabbed it. "How do we know Reyes won't show up with reinforcements?"

"Who cares?" He held out her mask. "You can take them. Just try and get anything new without killing anybody, will you?"

Felicity slipped the mask into her pocket and sighed. "Okay."

"You're much more compliant than usual." He eyed her. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." She reached for the door. "I'm just done arguing with you."

"Good." Barton nodded. "I'll be listening, Felicity. Don't forget that."

"Of course." She stepped out of the house, letting the cold air hit her.

Reyes was sure to bring back up and if she wasn't careful, she'd attract the attention of Oliver and that's the last thing she needed.

Keeping her eyes on the ground, Felicity walked briskly through the streets of Starling City, turning a corner that lead to an alley. In that alley was a door that could be easily missed even in daylight. She took her mask out of her pocket and slipped it over her head, tapping on the door rhythmically as she had been told to do.

"What do you want?" A gruff looking man stood at the door.

"Arcenio Reyes asked for _me_." Felicity put her hand up to the door and pushed it open. "Not the other way around."

"Hey!" He grabbed her arm roughly, making her tense.

"That's enough, Crow." Arecnio intervened. "Now let her go before she kills you."

She yanked her arm back and looked at Reyes.

"Who the hell is she?" Crow asked.

"This is the Queen of Hearts, gentlemen. Let's welcome her, shall we?" He smirked.

* * *

"What happened?!" Mathis asked as she stumbled into the door. "I didn't hear a thing!"

"That's because they took my earpiece." She groaned, falling onto the couch. "Or more like they ripped it from my ear."

"What did you do?"

"You said not kill them, so I left them unconscious." Felicity was breathless.

"What?! Why?! Did you at least get anything about The Hood?!"

"Reyes had nothing to offer that we didn't already know. All he had for us was a grudge that he wanted fulfilled. He knew nothing about The Hood, so when I got up to leave, they wouldn't let me."

Barton paced in front of her. "Now what? What the hell are we going to do? The Triads gave us a second chance and you've ruined it!"

"Would you rather me dead?" She whispered, stopping his rant. "Because that would have been the outcome, had I not done what I did."

Barton grit his teeth, grabbed his jacket, and stormed away. "I'm going to clean up your mess."

Felicity pulled herself up and squeaked in pain. She had lied; Reyes had offered The Hood's real identity; he actually managed to follow Oliver back to Verdant and wait out the night until Oliver emerged in normal clothes. But she wasn't about to let Mathis know that.

She eventually found herself laying in the middle of the training mat, breathing heavily and clenching her hands; every time she breathed in, a sharp pain shot through her body and she was forcing herself to tolerate it because there was nothing Mathis would do to help. She had screwed up, but she didn't care, if she could keep Oliver safe, she would go through a thousand beatings to make it happen.

* * *

"Do you remember that gang we've been keeping an eye on?" Diggle said to Oliver the next morning in his office.

"Yes. What about them?"

"You need to see this." Diggle handed the tablet in his hands to Oliver. "I hacked into the system at their meeting place and who should wander in, but-."

"The Queen of Hearts." Oliver watched the footage.

The girl had stood up to leave the room, but was blocked by a large man that Oliver knew as Crow. She was starting to become surrounded with Arcenio Reyes leading the attack. She stood stock still, waiting…observing. As soon as a hand hit her shoulder, she had twisted, taking it and throwing him into two other men.

She blocked a punch with her right forearm, pushing it away and quickly striking his nose, which was sure to be broken. She snapped her head around and kicked one of the members in the stomach, sending him into a nearby wall.

Oliver's mouth fell open as he watched her move swiftly through the crowd of men, feeling a little impressed when she had been elbowed very hard in the ribs and she stumbled, but turned and grab the culprit, smashing his head against the wall.

It had all happened so fast, that when she stood face to face with Reyes, Oliver thought he had blinked and it was almost over. He couldn't tell what she had said to him, but it made the color drain from Reyes' face. She spun around him, putting him into a headlock and kicking at the back of one of his knees as she whispered something in his ear. Arcenio struggled greatly, but it was obvious that he was no match.

Oliver put the tablet down and sighed. "Do we know what she was doing there?"

"Nope, but she left Reyes pretty banged up."

"And Sara? Has she seen this yet?"

"No." Diggle looked at him confused. "Why would she need to see this?"

"Because she's been…a little upset since I haven't really shared much about the Queen of Hearts. We'll show her later." Oliver stood from his desk and buttoned his suit as he saw Isabel strut her way into his office. "Damn it."

"Good luck." Diggle laughed, taking the tablet and waiting outside.

* * *

"Holy crap." Roy gaped that night. "That one girl did all that?"

"Apparently." Oliver said while doing pull ups.

"She's good." Sara couldn't take her eyes off the screen. "She's fast. What's she saying to them?"

"I can't tell." Diggle frowned. "She kept most of her face from the cameras…again."

"This girl is only going to keep attacking until we get her." Oliver walked over to them. "So how do we draw her back out?"

"Well, after this fight, she may not be out for a while." Roy chimed in. "I mean, if you watch closely, you can see her stumbling out and she's holding on to her arm. She may be good but she's not invincible."

Everyone had gone quiet, taking in what Roy had pointed out. It means they have at least a day to come up with a plan.

Oliver couldn't shake the feeling that he knows this girl. He's seen her fighting style plenty of times and yet, he couldn't place her. He didn't want to wait a day to see her again. He needed to find out who she was. "We don't have time to wait."

"You have a plan as to how to draw her out?" Sara asked. "Because if you do, I'm all ears."

"She was the one who wanted my attention first. Now all we have to do is get hers."

"We don't know anything about her." Sara put a hand on his arm. "How are we going to do that?"

"Easy." He grabbed his bow. "I'm going to patrol."

* * *

"Felicity!" Mathis screamed, running into the basement. "Felicity!"

"Here." She croaked, from her spot on the mat.

"Get up, quickly." He threw himself in her chair. "The leader of the Triads has chosen to forgive us, given we let him have the opportunity to come in and test your strength."

"Now?" She groaned.

"No." He typed away on the keyboard. "There's been a break in at a jewelry store."

"I'm not a hero." She snapped. "I don't save the city."

"No, but The Hood does." He smirked, turning to her. "Tonight, you're going to get him."

"I thought we established that it was a bad idea." Felicity forced herself to stand up. She winced at the pain, but made her way to him as if she was fine.

"Without your earpiece, I can't hear you, but that doesn't mean you're safe from me." Barton hissed. "If you're gone longer than I find necessary, I'll find you."

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes, walking upstairs carefully and snatching her jacket from the couch.

"You have one hour." He warned, handing her the mask she had flung across the room when she came back. "Don't waste it."

Felicity breathed in deeply and stepped outside the door.

* * *

**I'm sorry I'm not very good at writing action scenes, guys ):**


	5. Maxwell Acosta

Oliver had just entered through the back, scanning the store and becoming familiar with it in case he needed a quick escape.

"You probably shouldn't be here." A female voice had him spinning around, arrow at the ready.

The woman laughed and shook her head, resting her hip against the counter and crossing her arms and legs. "You don't need that. I'm not going to fight you."

"Right." He said sarcastically. "Because I'll believe that."

All amusement gone from her voice, she said, "Believe what you want. You should still leave."

"I don't think so." Oliver dropped his bow and shot forward, grabbing for her.

Felicity winced as she jumped back, taking hold of his wrist, ducking, twisting, and ramming her elbow into his stomach.

He doubled over with a groan but didn't release her. Instead, he spun her and shoved her into the wall.

"Ah!" Stepping on his foot, she kicked away from the wall and fell to the floor on top of him.

Oliver grunted, rolled over, and gripped her jacket to pull her back flush against his chest.

Felicity felt his forearm at her throat as his other hand restrained her left behind her back. He was too close and she needed to get away. Sliding down an inch, she bit down on his arm, making him yelp and push her away.

"Biting?" He was bewildered, but amused at the same time. "Biting."

"Whatever, princess." She scoffed, resting on her hands on her knees and trying to keep her breathing even. "Like anything you have is any better."

"I was about to win."

"Yeah, right." Felicity wanted to get rid of the smug tone his voice held; she didn't come here to exchange playful banter with him, she came to get him to leave. She launched at him, dropping low and kicking his feet out from under him.

Oliver grabbed her ankle to keep her from running out and pulled her to him.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me?!" She grunted, falling to the ground and kicking his arms away so she could break free.

He groaned and bolted up, only to find himself face to face with something sharp and pointy.

Felicity had drawn his bow, aiming at the middle of his forehead; this was in no way how she expected the situation to go.

Oliver took note of two things; 1. someone else was wielding his bow. 2. No one else should be wielding his bow.

"Who are you?" His voice was dark and low. "What do you want from me?"

She rolled her eyes and replied breathlessly. "Nothing. I'm here because you are. You're about to undo everything I worked hard for."

Oliver kept his gaze, focusing solely on her and as he did so he began to recognize her voice, her stance, her posture, all of it; their last fight didn't leave him much time to actually look her over and now that he has, he couldn't believe what he was seeing; she carried herself with even more confidence than before. Her smile, however wicked it seemed, still had a piece of her in it.

The sound of sirens approaching fast lingered in his ears. He remained stunned as she mumbled a few obscenities, lowered his bow, and grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him out of the store as quickly as possible.

Felicity swallowed the lump in her throat as they slipped into the alleyway and ran; he had been staring at her as if she were from another planet. She knew she had to get out of there fast or else he'd recognize her. She let go of him and quickly turned to leave.

"Wait!" He sprang for her, capturing her between the wall and his body. "Please wait, Felicity."

"Felicity?!" Diggle and Roy screamed over Oliver's comm.

She grit her teeth and tried to move away from him. "I don't know who that is. Let me go. Just because I spared your life once, doesn't mean I'll do it again."

Oliver reached up, turning off his voice modulator and pushing his hood down. He looked into her eyes as if searching for the answers to all of his questions. "You're alive. It's you." He breathed, reaching up and moving the hair from her face, pulling her red mask down to settle loosely around her neck. Reaching up, he wove his fingers through her hair and turned her to face him. "You're the Queen of Hearts."

Oliver scanned her body, taking note of her now brunette hair, still blue eyes that screamed beautiful even without her glasses, and the red from her lipstick. His hand smoothed over the sleeve of her jacket, glancing down at her black tank top underneath and realizing he had never felt so floored by someone's appearance than right now.

"Oliver." She whispered. "Please let me go."

"What happened?" He asked, trying his best to keep himself composed; months of searching for her and suddenly she appears in front of him. "I thought…everyone thought…"

"I know." Felicity nodded. "I just um…Oliver, please." She pushed off the brick wall, making him stumble back, whether it was from shock or her strength, she didn't know.

"You're leaving? Felicity, you can't. You have to come back with me. We can-."

"Whoa." She laughed softly, putting her hands on his chest to stop him from talking. "What's with the desperation, Oliver? I've never seen you be so…me."

"I missed you." He exhaled, engulfing her in a hug with the intention of never letting go. Unfortunately, she had other plans, squirming out of his grip, leaving a kiss on his cheek, and disappearing.

* * *

"There's no way that was Felicity." Roy said as Diggle and Sara stood, shocked at the news Oliver had just given them. "She looked…hot."

"Shut it." Oliver growled at him. "It was her, Diggle. It was Felicity."

"Roy's got a point." John hated to admit.

"You heard her, Digg, okay? It may not have looked like her but it was her."

"So what happened, then? How is she alive and why is she able to do what you can do?"

"Wait, you said she told you her boss was looking for you." Sara started. "She tried to get you to leave the store before your fight. What if he was on his way?"

"I doubt it. I don't think he'd come around with all those cops on their way."

"No, but who do we remember had her last?"

Oliver shared the look of realization with her.

"The Dollmaker." He and Sara said at the same time.

"How do we know that?" Roy interjected.

"Think about it, kid." Diggle put a hand on his shoulder, finally following the same thought pattern as Sara and Oliver. "Who had her when she had supposedly died? Who had a sick obsession for taking beautiful women and turning them into his personal play things? Who else would look at Felicity and think, 'Barbie'?"

Roy's mouth opened to form a small 'o' and he suddenly felt stupid for asking. "But we all saw that security video. She took those guys out like nothing. That's not Felicity. Besides, you only think 'Barbie' when it came to her when she was blonde."

"He's right." Sara sighed heavily. "Ollie…"

"We need to find out what's going on." Oliver sat at the computer and began pulling up files on the Dollmaker.

Sara, Diggle, and Roy followed suit, grabbing files and working through the night to piece together what's happened in the past year.

"She used to dye her hair blonde." Oliver looked at Diggle, sharing a private joke. "Don't tell her we told you."

* * *

"Felicity." Barton's voice sang through the training room. He walked around until he spotted her sitting cross-legged in the center of the mat. "Anything?"

"Nope." She sighed, dropping her shoulders and putting on her best apologetic face. "I'm really sorry. He's getting better. After our first attack he's really stepped up in…everything."

"We've talked about this." He glared at her. "How could not have gotten him again?"

"Is this a joke?" Felicity scoffed. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to do it by yourself?!"

"Shut up!" Mathis hissed. "We have a new target and you better step up your game, Felicity, otherwise there'll be dire consequences. Dire!"

She glared at him with clenched fists and watched him stomp upstairs. Tonight, Oliver had found out who she was. He had pulled her into his arms and she never felt safer. Neither of them brought up what she had done to Sam or Reyes and his gang, and she was relieved.

Felicity ran a hand through her hair and exhaled loudly, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around herself. She had been so stupid, letting him get close, letting him touch her, it was all a mistake. She needs to be more careful. She has to keep Oliver at a distance.

How she'll manage to do that, she's yet to figure out. But it will happen.

* * *

"Check it out." Roy broke the silence, standing with a file in his hand. "She went after a member of the Triads, right?"

"Yeah." Diggle stood next to him, reading over his shoulder. "So?"

"So, I've heard through the rumor mill that someone in the Triads could identify The Hood."

"What are you doing hanging around people who know the Triads?" Oliver asked, crossing his arms.

"That's not the point." Roy avoided his glare. "And Arcenio Reyes. He told his gang that he knew who The Hood was, that he was going to squeeze every penny out of the little rich boy, his words, and make him pay for what happened to his brother."

"What happened to his brother?" Sara questioned, looking at Oliver.

"How do you know all this from a file?" Oliver snatched the papers from him. "It's empty."

"Yeah." Roy nodded, grinning. "There's nothing in there. It's called street smarts, Queen. Just because I'm working with you doesn't mean I can't keep in contact with old 'friends'."

"Why didn't you bring this up earlier?" Diggle pinched Roy's shoulder.

"Ow!" He whined, pushing Diggle away. "Because I wasn't sure, okay? Felicity's going after people who are trying to use The Hood's real identity against him."

"She killed the first one, but left Reyes and his gang unconscious." Sara stated. "Why not kill them like the first?"

"Maybe she wasn't supposed to." Oliver reached for the computer, bringing up the footage from the diner when she first attacked. "Look, he says something to her, probably about The Hood, and she stills. Something about what he said made her nervous."

"So nervous that she had to kill him?"

"She isn't exactly sticking around." Diggle observed. "After every encounter with Oliver, she's quick to run away. Oliver…"

"She's not collecting information for The Dollmaker." Oliver nodded, staring at the screen. "She's keeping him from it."

* * *

It was rare when Felicity could make a public appearance, granted that it was with the Dollmaker, they were at a masquerade, and they were both in disguise. But she'd rather have to deal with putting on another mask and prance around with him all night instead of staying in or roaming the rooftops for Oliver.

"There he is." Barton had whispered in her ear, making her snap her head in the direction he had nodded, finding none other than Oliver Queen standing at the bar. The two locked eyes for a brief moment before she looked back at her handler. "Maxwell Acosta. Give him your playing card, Felicity, we'll take it from there."

He let go of her waist, letting her roam freely to do what she had been assigned. She weaved her way through the crowd of people to make it to the bar where her intended target stood. It didn't take long for her to catch Maxwell's attention, who smiled and offered to dance with her.

Oliver watched Felicity Smoak smile seductively and take the hand of a tall man who couldn't keep his eyes off her. He trumped down his anger and ordered a drink.

"Careful there." Diggle said through the comm. "Don't want alcohol poisoning."

"Yeah, well, you get in here and watch Felicity fawn over some total loser." He spat, taking a shot of bourbon.

"I would if you had let me." Diggle snorted. "We're all quite curious as to how she operates."

"You mean if she's using any of the techniques we taught her."

"Exactly."

"You gotta admit though." Roy chimed in. "She looks smokin' in that dress."

Oliver let his eyes wander over to Felicity and take in the sight of her red dress that ended just above her knees and hugged every curve of her body. The red wrap that fell around her shoulders had him curious as to what she was hiding underneath.

"Having fun there?" Sara's voice made him choke on his drink, obviously embarrassed by being caught.

"I, uh…"

"Just go find out what you can." She sounded irritated and he knew she had every right to be, but he couldn't help himself.

He felt as though he intruded on their dance just in time, having seen the host of the party lean in to kiss Felicity. "May I?"

"Of course." Maxwell reluctantly left her to Oliver, trudging away from the dance floor like a child.

"You're going to ruin everything." Felicity glared at him through her mask as he took her hand in his and rested his other on her hip.

"Maybe." He agreed, swaying to music gently. "But right now, I don't really care."

"I do." She hissed, looking past his shoulder at Mathis. "You're going to get yourself killed."

Oliver dropped his head to whisper in her ear. "And to think, a year ago, I was telling you the exact same thing."

Felicity moved her free hand up his bicep to his shoulder to keep Barton from clocking her reaction. "Oliver, you being here is dangerous for both of us because now, not only have you caught the attention of my boss, you've distracted me from my target."

"Well, don't I feel accomplished?" He shot her his million-dollar playboy smile.

"Can you two flirt another time?" Roy cut in through the comm.

"Roy's right." Oliver could practically feel Sara's glare through the comm. "Oliver, just get her back here."

"What the hell are you even doing here?" Felicity asked him.

Oliver shrugged. "I found a pattern when I was researching The Dollmaker. Seems you guys are going after people who could possibly identify me,but then I got a call from Thea, saying she wanted me to attend this Masquerade party for Maxwell Acosta, an investor at Queen Consolidated. So, tell me, who has caught your attention tonight?"

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Mathis has his own plans for my target. I'm just supposed to leave the card."

"Then why do you keep knocking them out?"

Felicity wanted to glare at him, but she had to keep a straight face to keep Mathis from picking up on the situation. "I'm sorry, do you _want _to be caught? Because that can be arranged if you like."

"That's our girl." Diggle chuckled.

Oliver smiled at her. "Thank you. It seems I've been a little careless."

"More like a lot. What's going on? Why are you so reckless all of the sudden?"

"You know why." He squeezed her body closer. "I thought I lost you, Felicity. Do you have any ide-."

Barton tapped Oliver's shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if perhaps I could steal her away." He had recognized Oliver from a distance and began to panic; after all, he was the man his new toy had worked for. And although her mask covered most of her face, there were little things he knew Oliver could identify her with.

"How true is that statement?" Diggle said, catching Oliver's attention.

"Excuse me." Felicity said, taking Mathis' hand and following him away.

"What did he say?" Barton demanded.

"Nothing really." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't lie to me." He warned, turning and glaring at her. "Don't think I don't know who he is, Felicity. Now, what did he say?"

"He didn't even recognize me." She hissed at him. "Oliver Queen couldn't recognize a nobody like Felicity Smoak from a mile away, even if I did work for him for over a year. The rumors were never true, Mathis, I didn't sleep with him to get my position as his assistant. I was nothing to him, so no, he didn't say, 'hey, don't I know you from somewhere?'"

Satisfied with her long, winded answer (and a little terrified at the outburst) he nodded and pointed to Maxwell. "Don't get distracted again."

"Wow." Roy whistled. "Harsh."

Oliver had followed after them carefully and was able to catch their conversation, which meant so did everyone else back the foundry.

"It was just to get him to stop asking questions." Diggle assured, whacking Roy in the stomach.

"Quiet." Oliver said, bracing his hands against the rails in front of him; he had moved to a position where he could keep an eye on Felicity and keep out of sight of her handler. He watched her take a seat next to the tool she had been dancing with earlier and gripped the rail tighter when she leaned in. He eyed the hand that slipped into Maxwell's jacket and wanted nothing more than to rip her away from him. A few minutes later, she stood and made her way to the exit.

Maxwell reached into his jacket and pulled out a poker card. From his spot, Oliver watched him turn it over, revealing the Queen of Hearts.


	6. Who is She?

"What does Acosta have to do with this?" Felicity asked Barton, who invaded her computer once again.

"Nothing." He answered, fingers flying across the keyboard. "He's an investor at Queen Consolidated."

"So, we need him because…?"

"Because he believes The Hood is a menace." He shot out of her chair, throwing her the bar to the salmon ladder, indicating that he wanted her to train.

She sighed and jumped up to the salmon ladder. "So?"

"So, he's promised to fund whatever we need to catch him." He watched her jump, taking note of her muscles and how she had become stronger over the course of the week. "The drug is working faster."

Felicity grunted, climbing the salmon ladder with speed she didn't have the day before. "So I've noticed." She hung at the top. "Aren't you afraid Acosta may be caught? He works for the Queen family and given recent threats on Oliver Queen's life, I doubt they'll be taking anything lightly."

"True." Barton nodded, snapping his fingers and pointing down.

She let go of the bar and fell to her feet with a sigh of relief.

"We just need a little time, and whether he gets caught or not isn't our problem. Everything leading back to us, you will erase. No one will ever know."

"You really give the IT department at Queen Consolidated no credit." She put her hands on her hips and waited for more instructions.

"I know, that's why I took the best of the best." Barton handed her the bo staff before walking over to her computer and bringing up training simulations.

Felicity waited for the simulation to start and looked back at Mathis. "I need to ask you a question."

"Okay."

"What is in the drug? What did it do me?"

"You said _a _question. That was two, therefore I will answer neither." He turned back to the computer.

"Will you at least tell me one of the side effects?"

"Death."

She glared in his direction; his short answers were beginning to irritate her and if she didn't hit something soon, it'd be him. "When am I meeting Acosta?"

"You're not."

"But the card..."

"That was just to get his attention.I'll meet him. Your last two...outings resulted in one death, a handful of concussions, and no Hood."

* * *

"Do we have any idea as to when she's supposed to meet Maxwell Acosta?" Sara asked, watching Oliver straighten his desk. "And what are you doing?"

"Isabel is supposed to come in for another meeting and she's really agitating, so I'm trying not push too many buttons today." He replied, looking at her. "She's already trying to kill me with her death glares, I don't need her reaching for my stapler in the middle of a meeting."

"What about Acosta?" She sighed, crossing her arms. "He happens to work here. How do you know that she's not using him to get information?"

"Because Sara, I trust her." Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "She's been keeping The Dollmaker at bay and I'm doing everything I can to find him."

"I understand that, but why haven't you realized that she doesn't want you anywhere near her?"

"Can we just not do this now, please?" He begged, locking eyes with Isabel Rochev as she barged through his office door.

"You two can play house on your own time." Isabel looked at Sara. "Right now, his time is all mine, so if you'll excuse us."

Sara bit her cheek and squared her shoulders, letting Isabel know that while she has Oliver's attention for now, he'll always go back to her. She turned and walked out of his office, exchanging glances with Diggle.

Isabel sat in front of Oliver's desk, crossing her legs. "Maxwell Acosta has pulled some of his money from his investment in Queen Consolidated."

"It's his money, he can do what he pleases."

"Yes, and that's all well and good. But my problem with that is he gave the excuse that you danced with a girl he can't seem to get out of his mind. Now, as unprofessional as that sounds, it still hurts us as a company."

"Me." He corrected, becoming angry at Acosta's claim over Felicity. "It's _my _company, Isabel and I didn't realize I had to adjust my social life according to what our investors want."

"And your girlfriend?" She countered. "Sara Lance had absolutely no problem with your…affair last night?"

"Sara has no problem." He defended. "I believe our meeting today was supposed to be about a charity event coming up, and yet you sit here and accuse me of losing funds when all I really did was socialize with possible investors."

Isabel remained silent, glaring at him and opening the file in her lap to go over the plans for the charity ball.

"I'm assuming Maxwell won't be there either, will he?" Oliver interrupted her sentence.

"His name is on the list." She confirmed. "Try to be adults, Mr. Queen, please? For the sake of _your _company."

* * *

Oliver was in the foundry blowing off some steam by doing sit-ups. The meeting with Isabel pushed more of his buttons than hers and halfway through it, he considered jumping out of his window…or at least throwing her out of it.

"How long have you been here?" Diggle asked from below him. "Roy and Sara are on their way."

"An hour." Oliver's voice was strained as he jumped down. "Isabel told me Acosta pulled some of his funds today."

"For what?"

"What else?" He snorted, taking a drink of water. "Felicity gives him the card last night, the next day he pulls money? I doubt it's a coincidence. Whatever he's planning, it's with The Dollmaker."

"True. And the charity event? Think they'll pull something there?"

"He's on the list, but if he show's or not is entirely up to him." Oliver gave a nod of acknowledgement to Sara and Roy as they came through the door. "Felicity won't be at this one. It's too open, she'll be too exposed."

"Then where do you think she'll be?" Roy asked, dropping a Big Belly Burger bag on the computer desk.

Diggle immediately began rifling through it.

"She'll be close." Oliver watched Roy shove his hand in the bag and pulled out a hamburger. "You know nothing like this will be at the charity event, right? Thea won't have it."

"Yeah, I know." He said with a mouthful. "That's why I'm eating my way to a stroke right now."

Sara shook her head and laughed; despite her…disagreement with Oliver earlier, she was excited about the charity ball Thea had been planning for Oliver and Queen Consolidated.

"And when exactly are we planning the sneak away?" Diggle directed the question at Oliver.

"Sneak away?" Sara questioned, being ignored.

"Couple hours in." Oliver said to Diggle.

"Why are you planning to sneak away in the middle of a charity event?" Sara demanded, stepping into his line of view.

"Felicity will no doubt be near by. She'll place herself in a position where she can keep an eye on The Dollmaker in case he needs a hand. He'll be paranoid at best at a Queen charity event."

"You're going to use this charity ball as an excuse to draw Felicity out?" Sara narrowed her eyes. "All of Thea's hard work missed because you feel the need to see her again?"

"Sara!" He finally snapped at her, making Diggle and Roy jump at the sudden change in volume. "This is about getting Felicity back safely. If it means missing a few hours of the charity ball, then I'll do it."

She balled her hands into fists and turned on her heel, storming out and slamming the door on the way.

* * *

"Ollie!" Thea grinned, throwing her arms around her brother. "Doesn't it look great?"

Oliver nodded, admiring the decorations she hand-picked and hung herself. "It looks amazing, Speedy."

"Roy, come here." Thea pulled on her boyfriend's arm and kept close to his side. "Your partner is here, Ollie. She asked me to send you in her direction when you got here."

"Thea, I'd rather deal with a deadly gunman." He groaned, realizing she had been talking about Isabel.

"Where's Sara?" She asked, ignoring her brother's statement.

"She um." Oliver cleared his throat. "She had plans with her family tonight."

"So another fight? Seriously, Oliver, what's with you guys lately? You've been doing great for a year, and suddenly you guys are fighting like you're married."

"Thank you for the heads up, Speedy." He kissed the top of her head and walked past her to the corner Isabel had been standing in. "Ms. Rochev."

"Oliver." She nodded at him, taking a step to her left as he joined her conversation with Acosta.

"Mr. Queen." Maxwell nodded at him.

"Mr. Acosta." Oliver shook his hand. "I'm sorry to hear that you'll be pulling some of your funds. I can only hope it's not personal."

"Of course not." Maxwell shook his head. "I'm simply making a brave choice that I hope will prove to be a good one."

Isabel had shot Oliver a scowl as he had done the exact opposite of what she requested by bringing up the Masquerade Maxwell hosted.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me." Maxwell shook Oliver's hand once more and nodded at Isabel before striding over to a man who was a few inches shorter than him.

Oliver observed them form afar and found that, even with his back turned, he knew it was The Dollmaker. He excused himself form Isabel and casually walked around, speaking with guests while glancing around the room for Diggle. Once they saw each other, he nodded to let Diggle know that he would be leaving soon.

Diggle had Roy distract Thea with a dance while Oliver slipped out the back, picking up a duffel bag hidden in the trash cans near by. Unzipping it, he pulled out his hood, his quiver, and his bow.

Roy's diversion didn't last long since Thea had squealed and ran away from him, launching herself into the arms of Sara, who had just come through the entrance.

"You're here." Thea grinned. "Ollie said you had plans."

"They um, ended early." Sara smiled back at her. "Where is Oliver?"

"Oh, um." Thea looked around until she caught sight of Diggle. "I'm sure Diggle knows."

"Thanks, Thea." Sara patted her shoulder, making her way to Diggle, who immediately handed her an earpiece.

"You just missed him." He informed her.

"I can see that." She mumbled, looking down at her hands.

* * *

Normally the sound of footsteps would have her on red alert, but she already knew who it was. "You shouldn't be here."

"That's the second time you've told me that."

She could have sworn she heard a light chuckle. "Oliver, do you have any idea as to why I stayed away for so long?"

"I was going to assume it was because you were being held captive by a deranged lunatic." He came to stand beside her.

"It was because if I 'found' you, so would he. He doesn't know anything about who you really are, I've made sure of it."

"You're the one who hacked our systems."

"I put in a stronger encryption. Sorry if it's creating problems, I can't risk working out the bugs from where I am."

"Why you?" He asked suddenly. "What did he want with you?"

She looked at her feet and decided not share with him the drugs that had been pumped into her. It was better if he didn't know what had happened in the year she had disappeared. Though she knew he would understand the torture, the last thing she wanted was to let him know how she was poked and prodded like a lab rat on a daily basis.

Felicity nodded, staring out at the event Mathis had managed his way in to without her. "I see Thea's done a wonderful job."

"Felicity, don't do that." Oliver sighed. "Don't change the subject. Tell me so I ca-."

"Every day." She interrupted him. "Every day, I'd wished I was dead."

His hands clenched at her confession; why hadn't he found her sooner? What did The Dollmaker do to the girl he used to know? Felicity had never wanted to give up, she always fought. She was hard headed, stubborn, full of life, and now…now she stood with him, letting him know that while he tried everything he could to find her, she had wanted nothing more than to be dead.

"I used to dream of you." She whispered. "On those nights I was graced with sleep, I'd dream of you." She laughed and shook her head. "I guess…that was a bit foolish of me."

"No." He stated, turning her to face him. "Felicity, I…I dreamed of you too."

His words shot through Sara's heart; she, Diggle, and Roy had been listening though his comm. She looked at the floor as realization struck her; those nights they'd spent together, not a single moment went by that Oliver didn't think of Felicity. How she didn't notice it before was beyond her.

"Who is she?" Felicity's voice pierced through everyone's thoughts. "The girl."

Oliver dropped his hands from her, suddenly feeling ashamed that he had moved on with his life when he had just told her she invaded his mind every moment of every day. "Sara."

"Lance." Felicity smiled softly at him, cupping his face. "Good for you." She stepped away from him and turned to leave as her peripheral vision caught sight of Mathis leaving the building.

"Felicity, wait." He grabbed her hand with desperation. "Don't leave. Let me help you. Let me save you."

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" She wrenched her hand from his, turning and breaking into a sprint, leaping from the rooftop to the next.

"Felicity!" He called, wanting so badly to follow her but couldn't will his feet to move.


	7. Breakdown

Felicity sat in the corner of the training room, running her hands over her face and bringing her knees to her chest.

Mathis was off somewhere else in the house and she wasn't sure if he'd come downstairs if he heard her crying. Especially since, the drug was supposed to render her emotionless with the exception of anger.

What had she done? Why would she tell Oliver she dreamed of him? Why? Why? Why?!

Why did she ever let him close to begin with? Why did she ever choose to work with him? Why did she fall in love with Oliver Queen?

There was nothing she could do now. The damage was done all because she gave in to her feelings. During Mathis' testing of the drug, she promised herself she wouldn't go back. She wouldn't find Oliver.

But she had no choice. It was either help Mathis capture The Hood or die. She wanted to bang her head against the wall for choosing to seek out The Hood instead of dying. Dying would have been easier. She'd be cold and lifeless, not slumped against a wall and crying.

And Diggle. What he must have thought of her…

What he must have felt when Oliver told him. How could she be so stupid?

Diggle was a friend that she valued so much. He taught her how to defend herself. He had listened to her rambles about Oliver and kept it between them.

"Felicity!" Barton sang, running down the steps of the basement. "Felicity?"

"I'm here." She breathed from the shadows.

Barton was startled, but quickly regained composure. "What are you doing in the dark?"

"What did you need?"

"Oh." He smiled like a kid in a candy store. "Acosta wants to meet with you to discuss strategy."

"Strategy?"

"How to go about catching The Hood. He has some very interesting ideas. With his money and new equipment, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Me as in Felicity or me as in the Queen of Hearts?"

"The Queen of Hearts. He's seen you one too many times at Queen Consolidated not to recognize you."

"And some silly little mask is really going to make a difference?" She growled. "Some stupid, red, flimsy object is going to hide everything?"

"It hides enough." He snapped back at her. "The meeting is tomorrow. Be ready."

Hearing the door slam shut, Felicity dropped her head to rest on her knees while her body shook from holding back her cries.

* * *

Oliver lay in his bed, replaying the events on the roof earlier that night; Felicity told him she had dreamed of him on the nights she actually slept. He knew how that felt. He understood the pain and wanted so badly to hold her, to make her feel safe again. But she ran from him. She ran away for the second time and he berated himself for not going after her. He didn't care about the consequences, he just needed her back.

When she said she wished she was dead, he wanted to tell her that if she truly had been, he didn't know where he'd be. It was bad enough he lost Tommy, what could have happened if he had given up hope of ever finding Felicity again?

He had felt guilty the night he left her to save Laurel. He didn't think she'd be a target, but the years he spent on Lian Yu should have taught him to know better than that. Felicity was always target, whether she was with him or with Diggle. She was his biggest weakness and the criminals were starting to catch on to that. It's why he began to keep his distance, why he refrained from having to speak with her for too long.

And then the ultimate betrayal; Sara. He knew how it must have looked when she saw him that day, cozying up to Sara Lance, smiling, talking, laughing. He knew she thought he'd given up on her and it played a big part in her not wanting to come back.

But Sara had been there for him. They did well together, didn't they? They were happy and Sara was supportive. But why did he feel so wretched when Felicity asked who she was? It's not like he and Felicity were in some sort of relationship.

Yes, Oliver knew she had feelings for him, and he had feelings for her, but neither of them acted on it. Maybe that's why she's choosing to stay away instead of coming home.

"Ollie?" Thea knocked. "Are you awake?"

Oliver got out of bed and opened his door. "What's up, Speedy?"

"Tonight, you lied about Sara having plans with her family and then you disappeared…"

"You knew it was a lie, Thea, you called me on it."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd disappear in the middle of the charity event, Oliver." She put her hands on her hips. "What's going on? Are you…are you cheating on Sara?"

"What?" He asked with surprise. "Who…who could I possibly cheat on Sara with?"

"I don't know! I just had to ask!"

"Look, Speedy…I'm not going to lie to you." He sighed. "Sara and I are having a bit of trouble right now. I don't know what's going to happen."

"But you're happy, aren't you?" Thea looked up at her older brother. "She made you smile after Felicity died, no one could do that. But Sara could."

Oliver smiled softly when it dawned on him just what this conversation was really about. He pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going to lose myself, Speedy. I know I was a train wreck when Felicity died, but I promise you I'll be okay."

"We just lost Tommy." She mumbled into his shirt. "I liked Felicity and suddenly she's gone too? I remember the look on your face when Officer Lance told us. You were so…not you, Ollie. You looked like you were numb and your movements were so stiff, almost like a robot. I don't want to see you hurt again."

"It's okay, Thea." He kissed the top of her head. "I know how much you and Felicity bonded. I'm sorry."

"It's not like you could have known." She laughed softly, pulling away from the hug. "I'm sure if you could have done something, you would have. Goodnight Ollie."

* * *

Blood. That's what was everywhere at the moment.

Felicity had been coughing up blood for almost an hour and it scared her.

Mathis was at the computer, seeming genuinely concerned as he pulled up the analysis of the drug in her system.

Cough. More blood. Groaning.

Barton was panicking; something had gone wrong. Felicity's body was starting to reject the serum and he didn't know how to stop it. He was going over everything and noticed he calculated it all right. It was something in her that was wrong.

He spun around to face her when she became silent. She was hunched over a pool of her own blood and trembling. It had subsided for now, long enough for him to scoop her up and carry her upstairs to put her in bed.

Her face was pale and her breathing was shallow, leaving him no choice but hook her up to an I.V. and pump fluids into her while he tried to figure out what went wrong.

In the basement, he paced back and forth in front of the computers; what the hell was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to fix it. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a phone, dialing a number he swore he'd only use for emergencies.

"What do you want, Mathis?" A deep, gravelly voice answered.

"It's my test subject." He answered shakily. "The drug, it-it's done something to her."

"What did it do?"

"I don't know!" He hissed. "She started coughing up blood. I think her body can't withstand it anymore."

"I know how my drug works, Mathis." The man on the other end growled. "Really the only thing that could have done it was an emotional imbalance."

"She has no emotions, except anger. But she knows how to control it."

"I'll be there soon. Don't do anything."

Barton heard the line go dead before he had the chance to respond. His body started shaking as he moved around to get things ready. If he screwed up, he'd be killed before he ever got the chance to catch The Hood.

The next morning, he stood over her, chewing on the nail of his thumb. Felicity hadn't gotten any better; the bleeding had stopped, but her breathing was still shallow.

"Leering over her will not help."

Mathis jumped and turned to the voice. "Then what will?"

The man slid over to Felicity's bedside and ran a hand through her hair gently, waking her up.

Felicity did her best to keep her eyes open, turning her head into the warmth of his hand. "Slade."

"Shh, shh, shh, shh." Slade Wilson bent down to her eye level. "It's okay, Felicity. I'm going to make it all go away soon, okay?" He stood, grabbing Mathis by the arm and dragging him out.

"What happened?"

"The nanobots in her system had trouble adjusting to whatever kind of breakdown she had." Slade straightened his suit jacket.

"She didn't have a breakdown." Mathis denied. "There's no way."

"Perhaps it was her reaction to The Hood. You _are_ still yet to find out who he is, aren't you?" Slade smirked.

"It would help _if you told me_." Mathis snapped at him. "You're withholding vital information. You even had me stoop so low as to kidnap one of Queen Consolidated's best IT employees. You understand that Oliver Queen and his family did all they could to help the police find her."

Slade remained silent; that's what he wanted. He wanted Oliver to squirm and he had. "Double her dosage."

"Double?!" Mathis sputtered. "That could kill her!"

"No, it won't." Slade reassured, heading for the front door. "It'll heal her body faster and she'll become stronger."

"Just what I need." Mathis grumbled. "_You_'_re _the one who trained her. _You _should be the one to handle her."

"I can't." He shook his head. "I'm far too busy to keep an eye on her. You're doing just fine."

"Yeah, okay." Barton said with sarcasm, closing the door behind Slade as he left. He glared in the direction of Felicity's room ans stalked back over, needle in hand.

* * *

Oliver was staring at the computer in the foundry, searching the news for anything recent on the Queen of Hearts but found nothing; it had been almost two dsays since he heard anything from Felicity.

"Do I need to drag you out of here?" Diggle asked, walking into the foundry. "Sara's been looking for you."

"I know." He sighed, picking up his phone and waving it. "It's been two days, Diggle, and nothing."

"We don't know what their plan is." Diggle sat next to him. "They could just be laying low for a while. Your best bet is to pry some information out of Acosta."

"Well then I should just have Isabel ask. She's as good at prying as anyone else is."

"You know you can't do that." Diggle shook his head. "You need to hood up for this one."

Oliver sighed. "Later. Right now, I have to find some way to get to Felicity."

"Oliver, have you considered what this is doing to us?" Diggle asked seriously. "You're on edge all the time now, Sara's feeling neglected, Roy's lagging in his training, and you've got me stuck here with them every time you run off to see Felicity. I miss her just as much as you do, but we can't forget what we're doing here."

"What we're doing here is getting Felicity." He slammed his hand on the desk. "I understand how everyone's feeling, Diggle, I really do. And I get that we have other matters to attend to, but Felicity right now is a top priority. I will not stop until I have her here. No one feels worse about this than I do. I've taken a friend from Thea, a daughter from parents, and a partner from us. I need her, Digg."

"You love her, Oliver." Diggle put a hand on his shoulder. "Why can't you just say it? Because of Sara? Open your eyes, Oliver. Sara would understand. You can't keep stringing her along like this. She knows how you feel about Felicity, she's just waiting for you to say it. If you don't, it's going to end very, very badly."

"Hey." Roy greeted, throwing his stuff on the ground next to the training mat. "Hear anything?"

"No." Oliver sighed. "You, Mr. Street smarts?"

"Nothing." Roy looked at the ground; he had spent the last hour with Thea, listening about how she hopes Oliver and Sara don't break up, and about how she misses Felicity, her brother's friend. After Walter had been kidnapped, Thea needed someone to talk to and her mother was in trouble, so one day she stumbled into Oliver's office and found Felicity Smoak.

"She was like a sister." Thea had said. "And so is Sara. It already hurt losing Felicity, I can't lose Sara too."

How badly he wanted to tell her that Felicity was alive, but he couldn't because not only was it not his place, he didn't know what The Dollmaker had done to Felicity. He didn't want to get her hopes up only for Felicity to crush them by being…not her.

"Sara." Oliver greeted her as she walked in. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." She said, looking at Diggle and Roy and waiting for them to leave, which they did…reluctantly.

"I am sorry for how I've been acting." Oliver said.

"I know." Sara nodded. "It's okay. I know how much of an impact Felicity's made on you and I know how happy you were to find her alive. I just need you to talk to me about these things."

"I know." He took her hand and sighed heavily. "But I can't…do this anymore."

"I'm sorry?" She withdrew her hand; she knew this would be coming, she just wasn't prepared for how she'd feel.

"Sara…"

"I mean, it's okay." Sara shook her head and laughed, putting a hand on his chest. "Well, not okay, but…I'll get over it. You mean so much to me, Oliver, but I can't compare to Felicity."

"I don't want you to think you have to."

"No, I know. I'm saying it as a good thing. I will do everything I can to help you get her back." Sara moved in to hug him. "You're an amazing person, Ollie. Even if you don't think so, Felicity sure does. It's what kept her going all this time."

* * *

***Gasp* A twist!**


	8. Properly Introduced

Mathis was sitting in a chair next to Felicity's bed, resting his elbows on his knees and his hands folded in front of him. He had done what Slade requested and doubled up her dose. At first her body arched in what looked to be like a crazy uncomfortable way and she thrashed around before it became completely still. He worried that maybe she had died, since her breathing stopped entirely. He watched in awe as her chest rose and fell with each breath, which was normal.

The fresh bruises on her body from a few nights ago had begun to fade at such a rate that they'd be healed within the next two days. The cuts on her hand from her fights with Reyes and his gang had healed completely in the next few minutes. Before he knew it, her eyes were wide open and she was sitting up.

"What happened?" She looked at him, alarmed. "S-Slade-."

"He came to check on you." Mathis stood from the chair. "He…made you better."

"Better?" She threw the covers away from her. "Better from what? What did I do?"

"He thinks you had a breakdown and your body didn't respond well to the drug."

"What do my emotions have to do with it?"

"You've been through a traumatic event, Felicity. We'll talk about it later. For now, just stay in bed and rest." He moved for the door.

"What is there to talk about? What about training? We're still going after The Hood, aren't we?" She tried to stand but found her legs to be too weak to hold her weight. She grabbed onto the bedpost to keep from falling. "What about the meeting with Acosta?"

"He came looking for me when you don't show up, I explained. Let it go." Mathis opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

Felicity sighed heavily; she didn't remember a thing from that night. All she knew was that she had been thinking of Oliver, of staying away from him, and suddenly a sharp pain shot through her chest and then...nothing. Like she blacked out and when she came to, Slade had been cradling her face and promising relief from the excruciating pain in her bones. Clearly, he had come through.

* * *

"You and Sara broke up?" Thea stalked Oliver around the house. "Why? What happened?"

"I told you we were a little rocky, Speedy, it was only a matter of time. Have you seen my phone?" He patted down his jacket and jean pockets. "I'm late meeting Diggle."

"You mean you're late getting to Verdant." She put one hand on her hip while the other produced his phone. "Call Sara."

"No." Oliver grabbed his phone before she could run away. "I'm sorry, Thea, but it's over."

"It can't be!" Thea tugged on his arm. "Oliver, she's all I have to talk to. How am I supposed to do that without it being awkward?"

"You'll figure something out." He ruffled her hair as he had done when they were kids, leaving her irritated and mumbling as he left.

Oliver laughed and slipped into the back seat of the town car. He nodded his head at Diggle and turned, nearly shouting in surprise by the person next to him. "You hijacked my town car?"

"No." Isabel laughed. "I was leaving Queen Consolidated and I ran into your driver. I asked for a lift home."

"So, why are you here?"

"I was halfway home when I realized that it's Friday night and I have nothing better to do. So, Mr. Diggle suggested I go to Verdant tonight since he was already taking you."

"Remind me to thank him." Oliver smiled sarcastically as the car was put into drive.

"Tell me," Isabel broke the silence, "the news, is it true?"

"What news?"

"Are you and Sara Lance over?"

He ignored her question, pursing his lips in an attempt to keep himself contained.

"Fine. Don't tell me." She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs and staring out the window. "You know, Oliver, I never really pegged you as the relationship type. Hook ups, maybe, but not a serious relationship."

Oliver rolled his eyes, taking his phone out of his pocket and shooting Diggle a text, informing him that he'll be paying for it later and to expect a much less flattering paycheck for the week. "Please don't try to analyze me, Isabel, it won't end well."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's exhausting, ask any of my ex-girlfriends. They couldn't do it and neither can you."

Isabel smirked and kept her gaze on the passing signs and people as they pulled into Verdant.

Oliver practically jumped out of the car as soon as the door opened, pausing to glare at an amused Diggle.

* * *

"Felicity!" Mathis yelled around the house, running down to the basement. "Felicity!"

"I'm here." He heard her grunt from the salmon ladder.

"Didn't I say to rest?" He snapped at her.

"I said I'm fine." She jumped down.

"How long have you been down here?"

"Couple hours." Felicity grabbed her water. "I got restless."

"Are you at least limiting your training?"

"Nope." She sighed, jumping for the salmon bar again.

"Felicity." He hissed at her. "Get down."

"Sorry." Felicity continued to pull herself up. "After last night…will you tell me what the drug is now?"

Barton stared at the floor, contemplating telling her what was really going on; Slade had him kidnap her because he had some sort of personal vendetta against the Queen family. He sighed, deciding to giver at least some of the truth. "The drug…is some sort of enhanced version of what Slade calls Mirakuru. When he came to me with Mirakuru, we worked on improving it together."

Mathis watched her pull herself up the ladder with ease and became aware of the fact that she really was okay.

"Well, I guess it worked."

"Yes." He nodded, watching her carefully. "Fine, if you're so bored and 'okay' then you can go patrol."

Felicity smiled and let go of the bar, falling to the floor with a sigh. She grabbed her red leather jacket and slung it over her shoulders, giving him a mock salute before leaving.

Mathis furrowed his brow and realized he hadn't given her a time limit. He sprinted for the door, catching her just in time. "You have…" He gasped, out of breath. "one hour."

"Fine." She mumbled, tight lipped and walked out, slamming the door in the process.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed heavily.

* * *

Verdant was crowded, as it normally was. Her face screwed up into grimace as she watched body's grind against each other; it was never her scene and it never will be.

Felicity scanned the crowd from her spot on the roof across from Oliver's club. She hated that her first thought for patrolling was to end up at the very person's club she was trying so hard to stay away from. Hands jammed in the pockets of her jacket, she glared down at some obviously drunk idiot trying to feel his way up an uninterested girl's thigh. Her jaw twitched and she clenched her hands, debating on whether or not she should go down and help the girl.

Before she had to the chance to make up her mind, a hand on the man's shoulder had him out of his chair and moving swiftly through the crowd. She let out a laugh that could have also been a scoff when she noticed just whose hand was throwing the pervert out of the club. She also let out a small growl when she saw an unfamiliar hand wrap around Oliver's arm.

"Jealousy doesn't look very good on you."

Felicity spun around, ready to attack; she wasn't one who could be snuck up on, but given recent events, it was clear that she was letting her guard down too much. "Oh." She sighed, putting her hands down. "It's you."

"Hello." Sara nodded, decked out in her Black Canary gear. "You're Felicity Smoak." She saw Felicity tense in panic and began explaining herself. "I'm Sara Lance. We haven't been properly introduced."

Felicity knew _of _the Black Canary, she just never had the chance to know _who _she was. _Of course it_'_s Sara_. She looked away from the Black Canary and down at Oliver. "Did you know your boyfriend's down there with…not you?"

"We're not together." Sara tried not to smile at Felicity's reaction. "As for her. Well…her name's Isabel Rochev. She thinks she's been a big help to Queen Consolidated, but really, she's just a pain in the ass. Oliver can't stand her."

Felicity let out a full, genuine laugh. "So what are they doing at his club together?"

"Don't get me wrong." Sara slid next to her to watch Oliver and Isabel. "Just because he can't stand her doesn't mean he doesn't find her attractive. And I'm honestly starting to believe she agreed to end up at Queen Consolidated because of Oliver."

They fell into a comfortable silence, but Sara could still feel Felicity shift with tension with every little touch that Oliver tried shying away from by Isabel. Glancing at Felicity, Sara could tell she wasn't paying as much attention to Oliver's reaction as she was to Isabel's insistence to practically crawl into his lap.

"He misses you." Sara said.

"No, he doesn't."

"He does." Sara nodded. "He's been hold up in the foundry looking for you. He loves you, Felicity."

"He doesn't." Felicity grit her teeth. _He can_'_t_.

"I'm sorry." Sara apologized. "I've obviously crossed a line."

"It's fine." Felicity sighed, tearing her graze from Oliver and Isabel to her feet. "It isn't my place, but I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure."

"I need you to tell Oliver…that he can't keep looking for me."

"What?!" Sara turned to her. "But he's worked so hard, Felicity. He's doing everything he can to find The Dollmaker. You can tell him where he is and it can all be over."

"No." Felicity shook her head. "For his sake and yours, it's safer if he stays away. The Dollmaker isn't the real problem. My mentor is ruthless. If Oliver finds us, he won't come back alive, Sara. Don't let him do this."

"Fine." Sara nodded, taking in what Felicity had been saying and realizing she was right. Oliver would be angry with her, but she'd do it for him. "Then I get to ask for something in return."

"Of course."

"Go see him tonight." Sara watched her shake her head.

"I can't do that."

"You have to. Tell him goodbye, Felicity. Because it won't matter what I say or what anyone says, he will always look for you. Nothing is going to stop him."

Felicity stared at the ground before telling Sara she'd see what she could do and then leaving her on the roof alone.

* * *

Later, at the foundry, Sara relayed to Diggle and Roy what Felicity had told her. "All we have to do is give Oliver the tracker and he could plant it on her tonight when she goes to see him."

"It could work." Diggle nodded, crossing his arms and turning to Roy. "What do you think?"

"I think we need to discuss this with Oliver." Roy responded, looking at the staircase. "Speak of the devil."

"What?" Oliver asked, walking to them with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his jacket. He shot a glare at Diggle as he came to stand in front of him. "You owe me an explanation."

"Is this about that Isabel chick?" Roy asked with amusement; he had seen Isabel hanging on Oliver when they walked into Verdant and the cringe on Oliver's face nearly had him busting a gut laughing. "Thought you liked her, Queen?"

"Shut up." Oliver smacked him in the back of the head. "You guys hear anything?"

Roy glanced at Diggle, who in turn shot a glance at Sara.

"Actually yes." Sara nodded at him. "I saw Felicity tonight."

"You did?" Oliver threw his jack on the table and began reaching for his gear.

"But she took off!" She stopped him. "I got her to agree to see you tonight. She said she'd see if she could pull it off, and I bet she will. So," She turned to Diggle and took the tracker out of his hand. "you need to put this on her. I don't know when she'll show up, but we need to find them so you can have her back."

"Sara this is genius." Oliver smiled, taking the tracker and kissing the top of her head.

"What if she doesn't show up?" Roy asked, earning glares from all three. "What? It's a valid question."

"She'll show." Sara assured. "I know she will." _There's no way she'd miss saying goodbye to Oliver_.

* * *

"Tell me." Barton urged Felicity as she came through the door.

"You know, for once, you could say, 'Welcome home, Felicity, how was patrolling?' and I could say, 'Thank you, Barton, it went as usual because I found…nothing!'" She huffed, throwing herself onto the couch.

Barton was taken aback. "So…nothing, then?"

"I have to train." She stood abruptly and made her way to the basement.

"Felicity!" He called after her, following right behind.

"Barton!" She yelled from her spot on the mat.

"What, what is it?" Mathis asked hastily while running down the steps. "What's going on?"

She scoffed, taking off her jacket and throwing it over a chair. "Where the hell is my bo staff? Why do you keep moving things around?"

"The Triads are sending a few people over to test your strength so they can buy the drug in a few days."

"Wonderful." Felicity sighed. "So, where's my stuff?"

"Oh." He jumped and ran over to her computer, clicking a button.

She turned and faced the wall as soon as she heard the foundation moving. A rack full of weapons rolled out slowly, revealing all of her tools.

"Whoa." She breathed, rather impressed, and reached for her staff.

"It's a present." Barton approached her cautiously

"For what?"

"For working so hard." He leaned against the rack. "For withstanding the drug and living. For being…perfection." He reached for her hair, only to have her fingers come up and latch around his wrist.

"Don't." She warned, dropping his hand and stepping into the middle of the training mat.

Barton shook off the feeling of being scared and went back to the computer, bringing up the training simulations. "What is it tonight?"

"Target practice." Felicity answered without hesitation, swinging her bo staff around her body and above her head.

"Knives?"

"Yes."

Felicity flung her body back to dodge a knife, jumping back to her feet and quickly protecting her face by putting her staff in front of it, a knife lodged in it.

"Okay, we should stop." Barton ended the simulation early.

"Hey!"

"You almost got hit in the face that time."

"So?"

"No, the scars on your body are bad enough, I can't have them on your face as well."

"Isn't that my choice?"

"Has it ever been?" He snapped at her.

"Whose fault is it that I have these scars anyways?" She snarled.

"Training is over, that's final." He shooed her away. "Go out and patrol some more.

"What makes you think I won't get scarred up while patrolling, huh?" She followed him out of the basement, jacket in hand. "You saw what happened last time. He doesn't hold back no matter who it is."

"Just go!" He ordered, opening the door and shooing her out.

"Fine!" Felicity huffed. "Don't blame me if I come back with a few more scrapes and bruises. _That was easier than I thought it'd be_. She pulled on her jacket and began her walk through Starling City.


End file.
